Tag: T-Mobile

T-Mobile Customers Bigger on Stocks, Bill Pay?

Last week, we saw some interesting findings from AdMob about smartphone usage. Now Compete has shared some of its own findings with WebProNews. The firm recently conducted a Smartphone Intelligence Survey.

About 47% of T-Mobile smartphone users use their phones to find local branches and ATMs, while 45% of AT&T users and 36% of Sprint users reported doing this (see chart #1 for data).

According to the survey, 34% of T-Mobile users use their phones to pay bills, followed by AT&T users (31%), Sprint users (23%) and Verizon users (21%).

While the numbers were lower, 19% of T-Mobile smartphone owners used their phones to buy/sell stocks. 11% of AT&T and Verizon users also bought/sold stocks, while only 8% of Sprint users reported buying/selling stocks.

73% of smartphone owners reported using their devices for at least one shopping-related activity during the holiday season.

Currently, 38% of smartphone owners conduct leisure travel research on their mobile devices (at least some of the time), according to the findings. This compares to 27% using mobile for leisure travel bookings, 20% using for business travel research, and 15% using for business travel bookings.

The findings present an interesting look at how people are using their devices to interact with the mobile web and make decisions.

March 29, 2010
T-Mobile Ranks Highest In Customer Satisfaction

As more wireless users switch to smartphones, many retailers are readjusting their mobile strategies to address the needs of these users, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates.

The semiannual report analyzed evaluations from customers who recently had an in-store wireless retail sales experience. Overall customer satisfaction with major wireless carrier-branded stores is based on four factors. In order of importance, they are: sales staff (49%); price and promotion (27%); store facility (14%); and display (10%).

Nearly 40 percent of customers who visited a wireless retail store in the past six months to replace or upgrade a phone from a previous carrier, switch carriers or sign up for wireless service for the first time now own smartphones.

The study finds that satisfaction with the retail experience among smartphone owners averages 11 index points higher (on a 1,000-point scale) than that of traditional wireless handset owners (727 vs. 716, on average), despite the fact that smartphones require additional service plan options and are more complex to operate. Smartphone owners are more satisfied than traditional handset owners in all factors, particularly with regard to the sales staff.

"The increase in smartphone sales will have a long-term impact on how carriers handle their customers’ needs," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates.

"These phones do require retailers to adapt by constantly training sales staff to keep pace with new features and offerings, but carrying out simple tasks, such as explaining the phone’s operation, provides salespeople with a great opportunity to optimize the customer’s wireless experience and fosters greater loyalty to both the carrier and store."

T-Mobile ranks highest in customer satisfaction among major wireless carrier-owned retail stores for a second consecutive time with a score of 723, performing well with regard to sales staff and price promotions. Verizon Wireless trailed closely (722) and AT&T followed (712). The industry average was 719.

"In general, wireless carriers are succeeding in adapting to the quickly evolving landscape by ensuring their sales representatives are highly knowledgeable about newer offerings such as smartphones and the high-speed data plans they utilize," said Parsons.

"As consumers continue to take advantage of the latest technology, it is crucial for sales staff to be knowledgeable about all phone models and service plans available and to continue to display a high level of courtesy and honesty during the sales process to ensure satisfaction levels improve."

March 4, 2010
Blockbuster Partners With T-Mobile On Movie Download Service

Blockbuster is trying to make some gains in the mobile space by being the exclusive movie download service for T-Mobile’s upcoming HTC HD2 smartphone.

"Available exclusively from T-Mobile, the HTC HD2 is like putting Blockbuster in your pocket," said Kevin Lewis, senior vice president of digital entertainment at Blockbuster.

"T-Mobile and HTC have a long history of partnering to deliver innovative, cutting-edge products – and we’re glad to provide customers the latest way to enjoy entertainment from Blockbuster."

The mobile movie application for Blockbuster On Demand is part of the company’s multichannel offering to connect users with over 100,000 movies, televisions shows and games.

Users will be able to buy or rent movies and download them to their smartphone via Wi-Fi. Users can also buy content on their HTC HD2 phone and watch it on a Blockbuster On Demand enabled TV set or Blu-ray player. The app does not have any monthly fees, allowing users to pay as they go.

The move by Blockbuster could help it to better compete against rival Netflix, which does not yet offer streaming video to a mobile devices.

February 17, 2010
Google Lowers Controversial Nexus One Fee

Update 2: Google has now reportedly lowered the $350 fee to $150, and launched a support line for the phone at 888-48-NEXUS.

Update: The FCC has sent letters regarding early termination fees to Google, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. In its letter to Google, it says:

…where new options may subject consumers to substantial ETFs, potentially from more than one entity, the Commission has a special interest in ensuring that consumers have a clear and complete understanding of the rates, terms, and conditions on which the communications services are being offered and the rationale for those rates, terms, and conditions. The combination of ETFs from Google and T-Mobile for the Nexus One is also unique among the four major national carriers. Consumers have been surprised by this policy and by its financial impact. Please let us know your rationale(s) for these combined fees, and whether you have coordinated or will coordinate on these fees and on the disclosure of their combined effect.

Original Article: Google made big waves in the mobile industry early in the year, and the effects of those waves are being felt quite hard by some users. The Nexus One’s release has gotten off to kind of a rocky start.

The issues plaguing customers of the much-anticipated Google phone have been widely publicized. Most of the gripes have dealt with Google’s customer service (or lack thereof) for the device, and trouble with 3G connections. More recently, however, complaints of outrageous early termination fees have popped up.

The trouble for users is that if they got the Nexus One with a two-year contract from T-Mobile, they end up having to pay about $550 to terminate early. The thing is, they have to pay T-Mobile’s regular fee, but they also have to pay Google a fee. Needless to say, that has caught some people off guard.

Google’s fee is a $350 "Equipment Recovery Fee". It applies to customers who cancel their contracts within the first 120 days.

According to Niraj Sheth with the Wall Street Journal’s Digits Blog, "A Google spokeswoman said in a statement that the fee is "a way for the company to recoup the subsidy it gives to contract customers."

"’This is standard practice for third-party resellers of T-Mobile and other operators,’ she said. A T-Mobile spokesman said that the carrier’s early termination fee is standard for its customers on contract."

While the combination of the aforementioned problems may not bode well for Google’s reputation in the mobile industry at the moment, the good news for the company is that they are projected to come out on top in the smartphone race eventually. Crunchgear says Google and Android will "own the smartphone market" eventually. Time will tell if that is an accurate depiction of things to come, but for now, people just seem upset.

Related Articles:

> Google Unveils Nexus One "Super Phone"

> Nexus One Sales Of 5-6 Million Units Forecast

> Google Tries to Carve Out its Place in Mobile

February 8, 2010
Wireless Users With Additional Plans Happiest
Customer care performance scores are higher among wireless customers with additional plan features, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates.

Customer care performance score were higher among customers with additional plan features, such as extended handset warranties (770 on a 1,000 point scale, on average) and unlimited calling to a predefined group of people (767), than among customers with base calling plans (699).

Customer care performance score average 749 among customers with unlimited text and photo messaging options included in their plans. Among customers with unlimited data usage, customer care performance scores average 764.

"Additional plan options not only increase overall satisfaction by offering customers access to newer features, but they may also reduce the number and severity of problems customers experience that require contacting the carrier," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates.

"For example, unlimited usage plans may reduce the number of contacts pertaining to overages and incorrect billing, which helps to sustain and improve levels of first-contact problem resolution and wait times. Reducing some of these types of problems allows service representatives to focus on resolving more complicated issues and optimizing their customers’ wireless experiences."

The study found that overall customer care performance scores average 739 in 2010, an increase of 13 points during the past year. The improvement is due to increased first-contact resolution and shorter wait times.

Verizon Wireless ranks highest in customer care performance with a score of 753, followed closely by T-Mobile with a score of 752. AT&T ranked below the industry average with a score of 733 followed by Sprint Nextel at 721.

The study also finds several key wireless customer care patterns:
- The rate of customers that report having contacted their carrier’s care units has decreased by 3 percent during the past six months, with AT&T and Verizon customers stating particularly low contact rates.
- During the past six months, the number of customer contacts pertaining to credit issues such as overdue balances and credit extensions has increased by 50 percent.
- Sixteen percent of customer phone contacts result from proactive calls or text messages originated by the wireless carrier. This has proven to be an effective way of limiting some potential issues from escalating, as customers who contact their carrier after receiving these communications are more satisfied (751, on average) than customers who do not receive proactive contact from their carrier (738).
Related Articles:

> Best Buy Now Installing Google Mobile Apps On Smartphones

> Google Launches Analytics for Mobile Apps

> Usage of Mobile Web and Apps Doubles in 2 Years
February 4, 2010
Google Unveils Nexus One “Super Phone”

Update 3: Google is now advertising the Nexus One on its homepage.

Update 2: They have also posted a video showing Google Maps on the Nexus One:

Update: Google has posted a couple of videos that show how YouTube and Gmail work on the new Nexus One phone. Watch them below.

Original Article: At the Android Press Event today, Google finally unveiled its much-anticipated phone, the Nexus One, which the company says belongs to a new category of phones called "super phones." Details have been leaking about the phone for quite some time now, but Google is now demonstrating what it can do. The Nexus One is of course designed in partnership with HTC.

From the event, Google discussed and demonstrated the following features of the Nexus One:

– 1 Ghz processor
– Android 2.1
– Thin and light
– Compass
– GPS
– accelerometer
– light and proximity sensor.
– 3.7-inch AMOLED display
– multi-color notification LED under the trackball.
– 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
– Stereo bluetooth and 3.5mm headphone jack.
– Active noise suppression (one on bottom, one on the back)
– Google Maps Navigation for turn-by-turn
– Facebook integration
– Quick Contacts
– Customization of software (home screen panels)
– New widgets for news and weather
– live wallpaper
– 3D app launcher
– voice to text for all text fields (email, tweets, etc.)

The full specs page can be found here, and there is a 3-D tour of the phone here.

Customers can buy the phone without service through Google’s own store and insert their own SIM card. It includes a Nexus One phone case, wall charger, and USB cable (as well as free shipping in the continental US). It’s available from T-Mobile with a 2-year contract for eligible customers. It’s coming to Verizon and Vodafone in the Spring.

Related Articles:

> Google Phone Excitement Builds Ahead Of Jan. 5 Event

> New Google Phone Has Tech Community Licking Chops

> Google Phone and Music Service Both on the Way?

January 5, 2010
Google Phone Excitement Builds Ahead Of Jan. 5 Event

The cat has at least started to come out of the bag with regards to the long-rumored "Google phone"; details about the Nexus One have been leaking for weeks. It looks like the rest of the figurative feline will soon appear, too, as a T-Mobile announcement and invitation to a Google event were issued today.

Let’s start with the T-Mobile announcement – which, it’s important to note, was an internal one. This morning, TmoNews published a document that in part read, "Google, with support from T-Mobile is scheduled to launch an Android device in early January. . . . T-Mobile will offer service support including billing, coverage, features and rate plans."

Then here’s the clincher: Google’s asking journalists to attend an Android press gathering on January 5th. This won’t be a random meet-and-greet, either. It’ll take place in Mountain View at the Googleplex, and a press conference, presentation, Q&A session, and demo session are supposed to last for a not-inconsiderable three hours.

One more interesting detail: January 5th falls two days before the start of the Consumer Electronics Show, so it looks like Google’s planned its announcement for maximum impact.

Unfortunately, a lot of other details remain unknown. No one seems to have a clear idea of idea how much the Nexus One will cost, for example, or how rate plans will work or when the device will actually be available for purchase.

Still, one week from today, Google’s likely to answer everybody’s questions.

Related Articles:

> November Showed Significant Growth For Android

> Android Crowds iPhone In New comScore Report

> New Google Phone Has Tech Community Licking Chops

January 5, 2010